Truths,Lies and Secrets
by jessiejaymes
Summary: If you are not telling the truth, it is either a secret or a lie. Story begins during the naked truth.
1. Not friends

A/N: This is my first fan-fiction. This story begins during the naked truth. Slightly AU: Aria never had a crush on Noel, she has always disliked him. Also Ezra never met Aria in episode 17, he broke up eith her instead. Anything I don't change remains the same. I don't own pretty little liars.

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><p>Secrets. If there is anything Aria knows, it's how to keep a secret. Keeping secrets is easy for Aria, after all she learned from the best. Allison was the master of knowing and keeping secrets. The difference being while Allie kept secrets to use as collateral, Aria kept them to protect. To protect her family, her friends, and Ezra. That secret was the worst for her. If it ever got out that she and Ezra had dated his career would be over, and she would be given an even worse reputation than she already has. The fact that they broke up doesn't matter. It still happened and <strong>"A" <strong>still knows. She once heard the truth will set you free. But at was cost was her freedom? Was telling the truth worth it?

Which brings her to the school at night time. Truth up day. Principal Tamborelli's genius idea to help the students form new friendships by telling the truth. Aria didn't want new friendships. Making new friends wasn't something she was interested in, there was to much danger in her life to add anyone else. However, the truth, now that was something Aria wanted. She had so many questions she needed answers to. What was Allie hiding? Why was she pretending to be Vivian ? Who did that phone number belong to? Who did Holden meet in secret? Why did he have all those pills? But most importantly Aria wanted to know who was **"A"**? And why did they enjoy torturing her and her friends so much? The likelihood of these questions being answered tonight were slim to none. So with a reluctance she found herself dragging her feet to her destination.

Walking into the classroom Aria bumped directly into a statuesque Caleb. Glancing at his face she noticed the angry expression he wore. Following his gaze she was annoyed to see Jenna playing the piano. Great, not only did she have to do this truth up day but she had to do it with Jenna.

"Hey did you know she was gunna be in this group?" Caleb whispered.

"No" she exchanged glances with Caleb and they began to walk into the room "If I did I would've given myself a fever this morning."

Caleb chuckled at aria's words empathizing with her reluctance in being there. Jenna turned around as if looking at them. Chills ran down Aria's spine, it was as if Jenna could see her. But Jenna couldn't see anything, and Aria was partly to blame. "Come on Aria, lets go sit down." Caleb suggested as he lead the way to two chairs.

Aria released a breathe she had been holding and followed Caleb. Suddenly very grateful that he was here. They hadn't known each other very long but she trusted him. And with him here she began to think maybe this truth up thing might not be as hard as she thought. She smiled at him as she took her seat beside him.

The beeping sound of Aria's phone gave her an all to familiar feeling of anxiety. Quickly pulling it out of her pocket she saw a message from Emily.

** Mona is in my group. This is going to be a long night.**

** -Emily.**

Aria giggled a little and showed the text to Caleb who laughed in response.

"You better turn that off Tamborelli has banned them." he told her as she began to reply to Emily's text.

"I know, I will "

** Hang in there Em at least your not stuck with Jenna.**

** -Aria.**

Opting to set her phone on silent instead of turning it off, Aria looked up to see the supervisors walk in. The first was Mrs. Hastings and the second had her heart practically jumping out of her chest, Jason. He looked good, really good. His head glanced around the room as he entered it. Once his eyes found hers he stopped moving for a moment and stared at her.

"You have got to be kidding me" Aria sighed in a shaky breath her eyes locking on Jason's.

"What do you know that guy?" Caleb asked, noticing how Aria's eyes remained glued to Jason's. Jason shot her a small smile before fixing his gaze on the floor and walking towards the desk.

"Yeah , its Allison's brother."

Caleb shot aria a questioning look. She just rolled her eyes and looked around the room that seemed to be shrinking around her. She was stuck in a room with Hannah's boyfriend ,Spencer's mom, Allie's brother and the girl she helped turn blind. She was supposed to tell the truth in this room. She was supposed to hear the truth in this room. Wanting the floor to open up and swallow her , she nervously jumped up .

" I can't do this" she was ready to book it out of the room when Caleb stopped her.

"uh I don't think you have a choice." the look he gave her was full of seriousness.

"Besides if everybody's spilling their guts today, some of us might have a lot to say. I know I do."

Her stomach began doing flip flops as she watched Caleb glare at Jenna . He had no idea what he was getting himself into. Taking on Jenna was only going to get him hurt, especially if she was** "A"**. Her eyes drifted to Jason and found him staring at her again. The look lasted only a moment before he turned around to sit on the desk with his back to her. But in that small moment Aria's nerves had settled. As strange as it was, Jason calmed her down. The same Jason that was a possible **"A"** suspect. Crossing her arms she continued to look at Jason unable to keep her eyes off him. Where had he been? Why was he back? Why was he helping out today? Why did he have to always look at her like that? Why was he so hot? More questions for aria to stress over.

The silence of the room was interrupted by beeping. Aria quickly realized it was her phone again. Students gawked at her the way they always do. Aria, Spencer, Hannah and Emily were the bad girls in their eyes. Mrs. Hastings also gawked at her, a looked that said "_really Aria?_" It was the same look she gave Aria when she showed up at Spencer's with her pink hair. Caleb chuckled beside her shaking his head.

"Sorry I forgot to turn it off" she explained. _Forgot because I was distracted by Jason and his new haircut _was something she kept to herself.

** Truth hurts sweetie. May hurt your new pal more than you.**

** -A**

Great the bitch is in a playful mood tonight. Is **"A"** here? Jenna is digging around in her bag, but then she pulls out a piece of gum. A few kids are on their phones are any of them **"A"**? Jason still has his back to her, did he send the text? How can she suspect Jason but feel so safe when he's around? Aria feels like she's going crazy with all her suspicions. Actually turning her phone to silent this time, she tries to push these thoughts from her mind.

"Okay let's get started" Mrs. Hastings's voice travels through the room. Commanding attention and gaining it instantly. Jason stands and joins her in the front of the class. Aria once again finds herself staring at him, not hearing a word Mrs. Hastings says. Jason on the other hand seems to be looking at anyone but her.

2 long hours later they are allowed a 15 minute break. Torn between checking in on her friends and catching up with Jason, Aria watches everyone file out of the room.

"Aria you coming?" Caleb questions as he heads for the door.

"No" she replies, watching Caleb's eyes travel to Jason and back to her. He smirks and exit's the room leaving aria and Jason alone. He is preoccupied with reading one of the truth up books as she timidly approaches him. He has his back to her. She stands there frozen wondering what to even say. She turns to leave, and then quickly turns back to him. Still at loss for words she just stands there looking at him with her heart beating out of control.

"Just say it" his voice startles her.

"Say what?" she whispers, her voice still not fully returned.

"Whatever it is you want to say to me," he turns to face her closing the book in his hand. He's wearing a kind smile and Aria can't help but mirror it.

"Hi" her voice has returned and her heartbeat has begun to calm down. However she now has annoying butterflies swirling around inside her.

"Hello aria," His kind smile is replaced with and amused one, "is that really what you were having a hard time getting out? Hi?"

"Where were you?" She finds herself blurting out.

"Georgia, helping on my grandmother's house," his eyes drop from hers , he turns his back to her again, and starts walking away, "You should go Aria you only have 10 minutes of break left."

"Are you back for good?" she follows him.

"I don't know" he says over his shoulder.

"Then why did you come back?" grabbing his arm to halt his movement, Aria feels a tingle run up her arm. She quickly drops her hand as he turns to face her again. Refusing to meet her eyes but standing very close to her.

"I have some things to take care of ," is his vague reply. He's wearing an annoyed expression on his face.

"Like what?" her question causes Jason to finally look her in the eyes. All she can see is anger behind them.

"Why are you always interrogating me?" his voice is a few octaves away from yelling, and his body language is signaling how defensive he is. It doesn't scare Aria, it just fuels her own anger.

"I'm sorry. I'm just shocked that you are here," Aria takes a step back from him and keeps her voice calm, "Jason you disappeared without a goodbye."

"Why would I have said goodbye?" His question hurts Aria more than she would admit to anyone.

"I thought we were friends," her tone is quiet ,and although she thinks she's doing a good job at hiding her sadness, Jason can see right through her. Always has. Her eyes look to the floor and her fingers begin to pick at her nail polish, "my mistake."

Brushing her hair out of her eyes Aria begins to walkout of the room. Leaving Jason to feel like a complete jerk.

"Aria wait," his voice stops her as she reaches the doorway , "I'm sorry okay. The truth is I'm back dealing with some family business and it's stressing me out."

Aria laces her fingers in front of her and slowly walks back towards him, "Apology accepted," she softly tells him. The sweet smirk on her face has him wanting to touch her. The fact that she is now right in front of him, and all he would have to do is reach out his arm isn't helping.

"Jason why didn't you say goodbye?" her eyes look so hurt he almost feels bad about leaving the way he did. Then he remembers why he did.

"I thought putting some distance between us was a good idea" _because you are unavailable "_not that it did any good."

"What does that mean?" placing her hand on her hip she tilted her head at him. Aria was getting very tired of his cryptic answers.

"Nothing ," shrugging at her, his tone have a bitterness to it.

"What do you keep snapping at me? Did I do something?" Aria was beyond confused by his behavior "Jason are you mad at me?"

He sighed and rubbed his face in a tired way.

"No Aria, but you were mistaken. We weren't friends," the hurt that crept on to her face had Jason momentarily wanting to take back his words. Instead he continued, "and we' re not friends now."

"Jason…" aria could feel the tears start to form.

"No aria," he cut her off walking away from her again, "I can't do this with you right now okay?" He walked to the other side of the room and leaned against the wall. He needed to stand as far away from her as possible. Being in this room alone with her was torturing him.

"You don't want to be friends with me?" she whispered in disbelief. She couldn't figure out why he suddenly disliked her. Even during his stoner days Jason always had been nice to Aria. Once even telling her she was his favorite out of Allie's friends. Her sad question and quiet voice made Jason look at her. He could tell she was fighting back tears. He hated that he was causing them. He wanted to hold her, to make her feel better but he couldn't, _she was unavailable. _And it was killing him.

"It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't Aria," his voice was strained, " I can't be your friend." his voice was quiet and his eyes were looking into hers.

"Okay I got the markers but I don't know where the flashlights are." Mrs. Hastings's voice caused both of them to jump, and look around anxiously.

"I do," Jason's voice was still quiet. He quickly left the room as a confused Mrs. Hastings approached Aria.

"Sweetie are you okay," she asks with a concern that reminded Aria this women is on her side.

Aria can't find her voice again so she slowly nods instead.

"Did Jason say something to you?" the fear in her voice isn't lost on Aria.

"We were just talking about Allie," she softly whispers.

Aria feels guilt in using her dead best friend like this, but she know it's the best way to get people to shut up. Just say her name and people get all uncomfortable. Exactly how Mrs. Hastings looks right now. She just gives a sympathetic nod and walks to the desk. Taking a deep breath Aria tires to calm herself. _We're not friends. _Those words hurt her more than anything. Even more than Ezra saying they shouldn't see each other anymore. Why was the idea of Jason not being her friend so painful? She had already decided she didn't need new friends. Maybe it's because he wasn't new. Jason already new her. He knew the good and most of the bad. He understood her, as she did him. Maybe it was for the best that she wasn't friends with Jason. How could she be ? With **"A"** constantly meddling in her life , anybody she let close to her gets put in danger. Then there is the possibility that Jason could be **"A"**.

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><p><em>***Thanks for reading let me know what you think. Should i continue?<em>


	2. History Reapeating

**A/N:** To everyone that took the time to review this story thank you so much. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

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><p>She is supposed to be watching the mandatory video right now, not searching for Caleb. After helping Hannah set up Kate to gain a confession, Aria is now on a search for her friend's boyfriend. She understands Hannah's worry. Witnessing Caleb go after Jenna the way he did, worried Aria too. He had no idea who he was dealing with. She should have figured this night would turn out like this. Looking for Caleb in the music room, she finds Noel and Jenna instead. They exchange unpleasantries before she leaves them to continue reading the Truths on the wall.<p>

_**I hate my life**_. That was what Aria had written. She had someone watching her every move, using her secrets as blackmail. She had told too many lies to keep track of, to the point where she didn't even believe the truth when she told it. There was a mystery plaguing on her mind. The phone number turned out to be a dead end, belonging to a woman who claims to not know anyone named Vivian. Ezra had never showed up. She sat in the freezing cold waiting for him, but he never came. She believed their love could conquer anything, obviously he didn't. She thought him telling her parents meant that he was ready to fight for them. She was wrong. The consequences were to big for him. She wasn't worth it. And now she was under constant scrutiny from her parents. Then there was Holden. He wanted to know if they were still on for Saturday. Aria no longer needed his help since she wasn't seeing Ezra anymore. Yet she still went on these "dates" with Holden. She found that she enjoyed the time to herself. She could read a book and drink a coffee in peace. She didn't have to see the disappointment her parents faces held for her. She could take a small break from constantly strategizing with her friends on how to take down **"A"**. She could just be Aria. But Holden's secret had her worried. She had a nagging feeling that she shouldn't cover for him anymore. That he was doing something dangerous. She told him she didn't need him to cover for her anymore, and that she wouldn't cover for him unless he told her why. To say he was upset was an understatement, so yeah at this current moment Aria hated her life.

Walking through the school an intense conversation in the courtyard catches her attention. What was Spencer talking to Jason about? Does Jason know something about Allie that they don't? Would he give them answers to who **"A"** might be? Was she telling him about **"A"**? No. Spencer wouldn't do that. They had all agreed to keep it a secret. Plus Aria was pretty sure that Jason was still on Spencer's suspect list. Possibly Aria's suspect list as well, she didn't know what to think of him. Why couldn't she just figure him out? He seemed to have no problem figuring her out. If she wouldn't have been so preoccupied with thoughts of Jason, she would have noticed Caleb. He was working on his laptop inside the classroom. One glance through the window and she would have seen him. Instead she turned away with plans to head to the roof, catching Jason's eye as she does.

"Caleb," she shouts from the doorway. Placing a few bricks down to keep the door from closing.

"Caleb are you up here?" She walks onto the roof.

As the freezing wind whips through her hair, and the tarps flap around, she calls for Caleb again. Continuing to look around the roof, fear begins to take over her body once she hears the door slam. She does not want to be stuck up here.

"Hello," she calls while looking around. Someone had to be up there. Someone had to remove the bricks. Was it **"A"**? She pulls on the door.

"Dammit," it's locked. Fearfully she bangs on the door "Can anybody hear me?"

Letting out a terrified sigh she begins to pound on the door harder, "Can somebody please open this door?"

"Hello," pulling on the door she's unaware that someone is lurking behind her, "crap."

She hears movement from the other side, "Who is that?"

"Is somebody up here?" She sees someone walk by, and her body goes numb.

"Oh my god," she whispers to herself. Looking for an escape she spots the ladder, in a panic she begins to climb it. Suddenly someone grabs her leg.

"Let go of me," she tries to kick her leg free, "Let go!"

"Where's you pal Caleb?" It's Noel. The fear inside Aria grows and her breathing becomes frantic.

"Get away from me," shouting at him she tries to pull her leg free.

Within an instant Jason grabs Noel and throws him on the ground. Aria hears Noel grunt in pain, but her eyes are wide on Jason in surprise.

"Aria come on down," he places his hands on her hips to help her down. She is certain if the adrenaline wasn't pumping through her body, his hands would cause familiar tingles only he could give her.

"What the hells wrong with you idiot? I wasn't attacking her," Noel shouts from the ground while holding his right arm.

"What did I tell you?" Releasing his hands from Aria, Jason begins to walk to walk towards him. He stops his advance when a gentle hand grabs his arm. Looking back at Aria his anger subsides.

"Come on, let's get out of here," She can see the internal struggle he seems to be having within himself. With one last look at Noel they head towards the stairs. "_I wasn't attacking her." _This wasn't the first time Aria and Jason had heard these words from him before. She wondered what his definition of attacking was.

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><p><em>**Flashback to Noel's Halloween party**<em>

_Aria wandered through the dancing bodies and headed up the stairs in search of the bathroom. . Not knowing which one was the bathroom, she timidly began to walk towards one of the five closed doors. _

"_Boo" someone grabbed her from behind. Startled Aria shrieked and squirmed out of fear._

"_Easy Aria, its just me," Noel revealed himself as he let her go. Placing a hand on her heart she turned to face him._

"_Noel," she breathed a smile, "you scared me." _

_She walked backwards shying away from him. He quickly advanced on her._

"_It's Halloween Aria , that's all the fun." Her back hit the wall as he closed in on her. _

"_Great party," she tried to shake the uncomfortable feeling he always gave her. She had never liked him. All the girls thought he was cute and perfect, but not Aria._

"_Thanks. You having a good time?" His hands made their way to her arms. _

"_Yeah sure," shrugging off his hands, "where is the bathroom?" _

"_Are you trying to escape me or something? " He placed his hands on her again, with more force this time._

"_No it's the reason I came up here, I was looking for it," trying to shrug out of his hands again, having no luck. She was trying to be nice, if she pissed off Noel Allie would be furious._

"_Are you sure you weren't looking for my bedroom?" His face was inches from her ear._

"_Yep I'm sure!" Once again trying to push him away from her, " let go please."_

"_Come on Aria , I see how you girls look at me," He learned in to kiss her but she quickly turned her head. _

"_Noel, Please let go," his grip tightened as his lips pressed on her neck. She tried to squirm out of his hold but its was no use._

"_Stop your hurting me," he ignored her by continuing to press her harshly into the wall._

"_Stop," she pleaded one more time._

_Suddenly she was free from his grasp. In a frazzled haze she looked up to see Noel on the ground and angry Jason standing over him. Jason looked towards Aria to see if she was alright. Noticing no physical harm had been done, he turned his attention back to Noel._

"_What the hell is wrong with you?" Noel asked as he got up off the floor. Jason protectively positioned his body between Noel and Aria._

"_Me? What's wrong with you ?" The anger in his voice would have scared Aria if he hadn't just saved her, _" _you were attacking her."_

"_I wasn't attacking her," he looked at Jason as if he was crazy._

"_Listen up, if you ever touch her again, or so much as look at her, I will end you. Understood?" Noel rolled his eyes and nodded before storming down the stairs. Jason kept his eyes on him the whole time. _

_Taking a shaky breath Aria leaned against the wall. Closing her eyes she tried to regulate her breathing._

"_Aria," Jason's voice had lost the hard edge it held a moment ago. Aria's eyes snapped open to look at him._

"_Do you know where the bathroom is?" Her words were rushed and exhausted. _

_Jason pointed to the third door. Glancing at the floor she rushed towards it. Placing her hand on the doorknob she heard his voice again._

"_Aria," his eyes held a concern to them that she had never seen before._

"_Please don't tell anyone about this," She fretted. If anyone found out she would be a social outcast. Allie certainty wouldn't be happy._

"_Are you alright?" he began to walk towards her, with the need to comfort her. The feeling was foreign to Jason._

"_Yeah," Aria's body had finally stopped shaking in fear as he stood a few feet from her, "please Jason, don't say anything," she pleaded with him. _

"_I won't, but if he tries anything again I want you to tell me." The tone of his voice told her how serious he was._

"_Sure." A little confused as to why he even cared._

_He nodded in response and headed towards the staircase. _

"_Jason," he turned to her once again , "thanks." She doesn't even want to think about what would of happened if he hadn't of stepped in._

"_Any time," he smiled at her before turning to head back downstairs. He didn't want to return to the party, he wanted to stay and comfort her. Why did he feel like he had to take care of her? He just assumed it was because she's been friends with his sister for as long as he can remember. He tells himself he would do the same for any of Allie's friends. Whether or not it's true, he's unsure. All he knew was, if it had been Allie in that situation,_ he would have reacted the same way_. As much as they fight he was protective of his little sister. Does this mean he thinks of Aria as a little sister? With how beautiful he thinks she is probably not. Instead of worrying about it to much, he goes in search of Ian. Tonight he wanted to get messed up and push all thoughts of petite brunettes out of his mind._

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><p>As she ran down the stairs and into the hallway she can hear Jason following her. "Aria," he calls once she made it to the hallway. She keeps moving, she can't stop.<p>

"Hey," he grabs her arm to make her stop and turns her body towards him, "You okay?"

"Yeah," she's lying and he knows it.

"Your shaking," he states while rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"Yeah," her head nods in agreement. Jason knows this is her way of telling him she's not fine. The opposite really, she scared. He wraps his arms around her and begins to rub her back. The shaking in her body begins to calm down as she buries her face in his chest. His scent hitting her nostrils on instant. That scent is a unique one she has never smelled anywhere else, it was pure Jason, and she had missed it.

"I hate that kid," he growls more to himself than to her.

She nods in agreement, and lifts her head to look at his face.

"Thank you," a sense of déjà vu hits Jason, as her big eyes gratefully beam up at him.

"Any time," as his hands stop their movement, he smiles down at her.

She was so close to him. One tilt of the head and their lips would be touching. Her stomach twitched at the memory of the last time she had his lips on hers. Suddenly realization hit her like a ton of bricks. _I can't be your friend. _She got it now. _I'm not available. _Jason thought she was still with Ezra. He didn't want to be her friend because he wanted more. Deep down she thinks she does too.

He drops his arms from her and steps back, uncomfortably. Refusing to look at her, his eyes shift around. There is so much tension Aria feels like she's drowning in it. She can feel him pulling away, looking for an exit from this awkwardness they find themselves in. She wants him to stay, there are so many things she wants to say, needs him to hear. However words have seemed to have escaped her once again. Hesitantly she steps toward him. There is a pleading look in his eyes, begging her to stop torturing him.

_"_Jason," Aria was interrupted by Noel walking through the hallway. Holding his arm he shoots angry glances at them as he passed. Jason remained silent, but his eyes expressed more than his voice needed to. He wanted to kill Noel.

"You should go," he told her, "all students have a curfew, they will be doing bed checks soon."

He leaves her standing alone in the hallway. She finds herself torn between her heart wanting to go after him, and her head telling her it's a bad idea. Sure she is now available. But is ready to be? She still loved Ezra, a part of her always would. But his unwillingness to fight for her had left wounds that needed to heal. She wasn't ready to put her heart out there again. Not to mention there was so much mystery that surrounded Jason. She still needed answers. But as truth up day came to an end she just found herself having more questions.

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><p><em>**Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.<em>


	3. Apologies

Apologies

**A/N: **Thanks to the people who reviewed this story. I know Jason is not the most popular pairing for Aria but I can't help but love them. It's nice to know I'm not alone on that.

To MPRockstar16: Thank you for Pointing out the spelling of Ali. My cousins name is spelt Allie and I guess I wrote it that way out of habit. I'll keep an eye on that for you.  
>To Niafadra: I'm so glad you brought up the fashion show scene with Noel because it was my inspiration for the last chapter.<p>

Hope you all enjoy this.

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><p>In one hour Aria would be meeting this mystery person at Josie's Diner. Did he have the answers they needed? Would this whole<strong> "A" <strong>mess finally be over? Aria walked into the Apple Rose Grille hoping to grab a coffee, before heading to Spencer's to meet the girls. She immediately spotted Jason. It was the first time she had seen him since that Noel fiasco. He sat at a table by himself, sipping a coffee and reading the newspaper. She couldn't stop the return of those pesky butterflies. He looked good. Why did he always have to look so good?

Approaching his table with caution a sense of nervousness washed over her. What if he didn't want to talk to her? He did tell her they couldn't be friends after all. The thought of not having him in her life was heartbreaking. He had been nothing but a great friend to her. Even with all the doubts surrounding him she still trusted him. She wanted to lean on him. And have him lean on her in return. Knowing how her friends felt about him did cause a problem. She could defend him all she wanted, they weren't budging. They believed Jason was dangerous. Oddly Spencer had changed her opinion of him. Why? Aria wasn't sure. She knew it had something to do with that conversation she had witnessed. Whatever it was about, Spencer was keeping it to herself, and not returning home. She had spent the past week at Aria's. Clearly she had discovered what her parents and the DiLaurentis family had been fighting about.

"Is this seat taken?" A surprised Jason turned to look at her.

"Nope," he placed down the newspaper and gestured to the open seat, "it's all yours."

She could tell he offered her the seat out of politeness as apposed to actually wanting her company. Giving him a shy smile she down, ignoring the unwanted vibe she picked up from him. Regardless of whether or not he wanted her there, she needed to tell him some things.

"How have you been?" She removed her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair.

"Alright," Jason ran his fingers through his hair nervously, "What about you? Noel hasn't been hassling you has he?" His eyes held a slight anger to them.

"No," shaking her head. Aria didn't want Jason going after Noel, who knew what he and Jenna were up to.

"Good," he sighed while nodding at her.

She was relieved to see the anger in his eyes begin to be replaced with something else. Something that made those butterflies swirl around in her stomach faster than before. Her hand started to slightly shake out of nervousness; the look he was giving her only seemed to make it worse. They sat in silence as their eyes remained locked. Why did he have this effect on her? Why was his presence always causing her nerves to spiral out of control, but calm them down at the same time? Aria didn't have any explanation for the way Jason made her feel; it was familiar yet foreign all at once.

The sound of the door chiming caused Aria to look towards the door. Her heart ached as she watched Ezra walk towards the counter. Following her gaze Jason turned around to spot Ezra about to order a coffee.

As if he could feel eyes on him Ezra turned around to see Aria staring at him with an open mouth, and Jason smirking from his seat across from her. Quickly ordering a black coffee, Ezra had every intention of making a quick dash out of there. The jealously he had from seeing them together was unfair to Aria. He wanted her to be happy; he wanted her to get everything he could not give her, a normal relationship. It didn't mean that he had to like it.

"You two have got this sneaking around thing down pretty good." There was sarcasm in his voice.

"I didn't know he would be here," she looked at her hands as she heard the door chime again, signaling Ezra's exit. "And we're not sneaking around anymore. We told my parents."

"Well then don't let me stop you, go see your boyfriend," he gestured towards the door for Aria to run after Ezra. His words sounded supportive but his eyes looked hurt.

"He's not my boyfriend anymore," she mumbled.

"Oh!" Surprise was written all over Jason's face, "your parents flipped huh?"

"Yeah," she nodded with a smile, "I am practically under house arrest with my dad having wardrobe approval."

"They are just protecting you, I am sure if what you guys have is real, your parents will come around eventually. Just don't give up."

The friendly pat he gave her hand was supposed to show support. It shot a wave of shivers up her arm instead. By the way Jason's hand recoiled back, she guessed he felt it too.

"I didn't, but Ezra did," her voice was quiet and sad, "he doesn't want to see me anymore. He even accepted a job offer in New Orleans to get as far away from me as possible."

Jason could see the insecurity she had bubbling inside her. Someone like Aria should never doubt herself.

"How stupid is he?" He asked giving her the same intense stare from earlier. She couldn't hold his gaze; it made her feel uncomfortable and beautiful all at the same time. He was confusing her and she didn't like it. With a shaky breath she focused her eyes on the table and fiddled with her hands.

"Jason I know you said you can't be my friend and I understand why," Awkwardness fell around the table.

"Aria, " it was Jason's turn to feel uncomfortable. His feelings for his dead little sisters best friend, were something he himself was still trying to figure out.

"Just please let me get this out because I owe you an apology," looking up at him and back down again. She was having trouble looking at his face.

"For what?" Jason was honestly curious as to what she thought she had to apologize for.

"When you first came back to rosewood I gave you the impression that I was single. I lead you on," finally finding the courage to look him in the eyes.

"Well the fact that you were dating you ex teacher wasn't exactly public knowledge," Aria appreciated that his voice didn't hold judgment. But she did detect a little jealousy on his part.

"The point is, I lead you on and I'm sorry,"

"It's fine," he shrugged off her apology, "I probably shouldn't have been so forward in kissing you."

The memory of the kiss caused Aria's heart to flutter. And she suddenly wanted his lips on hers again. But she didn't. Or did she? Rubbing the back of her neck she glanced away. Jason could tell how uncomfortable his words made her. Deciding to make her feel less uneasy he switched the conversation back to her and Ezra.

"How are you handling the break up?" Jason wanted to pat himself on the back for playing the role of supportive friend so well. Especially considering that the thought of her with someone else made his stomach turn.

"I don't know?I mean I thought I knew him. I thought he loved me. Clearly I was wrong," he could see her insecurity resurfacing.

"Aria he did love you," Jason reassured her, "probably still does."

"How are you so sure?" She asked.

"Because it's impossible not to love you," he gave her that look again. The one that seemed to be reserved for her and her alone. She had never seen him look at anyone else like that before. She had never had someone look at her like that before. It terrified her, and she didn't know why. Jason took the opportunity of her silence to make his move.

"Listen I was wrong when I said we can't be friends," Aria felt hope at his words. They could still be friends; this made her happier than she was ready to admit. But she remained hesitant.

"But I thought you said," she didn't get to finish her sentence as Jason cut her off, "I now realize I would rather have you as just my friend than nothing at all."

The smile he gave her for reassurance was infectious and Aria found herself returning it without even realizing.

"Me too," she agreed.

"Plus I could use friend right now," _I need you,_ was what he wanted to say but he was going to take baby steps with her.

"The family stuff that has been stressing you out?" She didn't want to push him, but she needed to know for her own sanity. He only nodded in response.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked. He looked at her for a moment, wanting to tell her but not knowing how. He opened his mouth but the only sound heard was the beeping of Aria's Phone.

**Where are you?**

**-Spencer.**

"Crap," She sighed before replying to her text.

"Something wrong?" Jason asked.

**Sorry got held up. On my way Now**.

**-Aria.**

"Yeah I forgot I was supposed to meet Emily, Hannah and Spencer," she noticed the way his eyes flinched at Spencer's name.

"Do you want to pick this up another time?" She asked, a little more hopeful than she realized.

"Sure," he smiled at her.

Grabbing her coat off the back of the chair she waved bye to Jason before dashing out the door. The coffee she originally came in here for forgotten.

Jason watched her leave. His day was suddenly looking up. Aria and the teacher were done. This was interesting.

He had always been drawn to her. It used to be simple curiosity. She was so different from the other girls in this town, the complete opposite actually. Why was Allison friends with her? While Allison was mean and vindictive, Aria was sweet and compassionate. Allison followed all the latest trends while Aria went against them. Like when she had dyed her hair pink, no other girl in Rosewood would have done that. They were trying so hard to fit in, but Aria always seemed to know who she was and where she belonged. She didn't need to fit in, she just naturally stood out. The more puzzling question, why was Aria friends with Allison?

Ever since he had pulled himself out of his drug haze and returned to rosewood, his curiosity had changed into something more. He wanted her. All of her. He wanted to know her every thought, and share every moment. The good and the bad. His most recent return had been for other things. Assuming the door had been closed with Aria, he had accepted that he had missed out on his chance with her. But now, knowing she was no longer unavailable, his plans had changed.

He would offer her his friendship. Offer his support as her heart began to heal from the breakup. He would be there when she needed him, waiting patiently until her heart was ready to let someone in again. And he was determined to have that someone be him.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Feedback is appreciated.<em>


	4. Revelations

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews they keep me inspired to continue. This chapter takes place the morning after Ctrl A. Enjoy.

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><p><em>Warm light was fighting to open Aria's closed eye. Squeezing her eyes shut tighter, she fought to stay in the warm bliss she was currently lying in. Buried beneath soft blankets, she pressed her face into her pillow. A finger delicately grazing her spine caused her eyes to flutter open, and her head to turn. Jason's face was all she could see. Sleep was still glazing over his eyes. He flattened his hand on the middle of her bare back and caressed its way up to her shoulders. The motion caused her stomach to drop, and her breathing to deepen. Following her neck, his hand stopped on her face to brush her hair back.<em>

"_Why are you here?" She sighed into his touch as his hand cupped her face._

"_Where else would I be?" Placing a kiss to her forehead, his thumb stroked her cheek._

"_I don't know," she inched her body closer, until his arm wrapped around her. She didn't care that they both appeared to be naked. She didn't care that her parents could walk in. She just wanted to feel safe and loved in Jason's arms._

"_Stop fighting me," he whispered to her._

"_I'm not," her lips placed a soft kiss to his neck._

"_Aren't you?" _

Jolting awake, Aria tried to control her irregular breathing. Great now that Jason is back so are her dreams. A cold shower is defiantly in order this morning. Glancing at her clock, she grumbled at the time, 6:43. As much as Aria would love to go back to sleep, the possibilities of her dreams scared her. Then again so did the possibilities of her waking life. Last night had been horrible. Caleb was almost set up by **"A." **If Hannah and Spencer hadn't hacked into his computer Wilden would have found the files **"A"** had planted. Then he would have ended up in jail. Maya had taken off last night leaving Emily worried sick. Plus, there was the random phone call from her dad in which he asked to speak to Holden. Clearly, he still didn't trust her. Not that he should. Aria had been lying to them since they moved back to Rosewood, and not just about Ezra. Grabbing her phone, she texted the only person she new would be up this early on a Sunday morning.

**You awake? I need to talk.**

**- Aria.**

Passing the phone back and forth in her hand, she replayed the dream in her head. _Stop fighting me._ What was that supposed to mean? Okay so it didn't take a genius to figure out the hidden meaning of her dream. She was well aware of the attraction she had for Jason. That wasn't what was bothering her; it was the intimacy the dream held that had her freaking.

**Yep! You want to come over? My parents went into the city.**

**- Spencer**

Aria rolled her eyes. What was with the Hastings family? Have they ever heard of a day off? Not that she was complaining, the conversation she needed to have required privacy.

**I'll be over in 20**

**-Aria.**

"What's this all about? Does it have something to do with **"A"**?" Spencer questioned once the girls entered Spencer's bedroom.

"Spencer, not everything has to with **"A"**." Aria flopped face first onto Spencer's bed with a defeated sigh.

"It does in our lives," she walked to Aria and kicked her leg, "what's going on with you?"

Aria rolled over and sat up to face Spencer, "Jason. "

Spencer was not expecting that answer, "what about Jason?"

"I can't stop thinking about him." Embarrassment hit Aria's face, while disgust and discomfort hit Spencer's.

"I don't want to talk about this," crossing her arms Spencer move to the other side of the room.

"I don't know who else to talk to about it," frustration was lacing Aria's voice. Throwing her hands up she turned around to face Spencer.

"Emily?" Spencer suggested.

"She still thinks he's creepy," Aria stated.

"He is," Spencer voice was so unconvincing she didn't even believe what she said.

"You don't honestly believe that anymore do you?" Aria asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Hannah?" Spencer was trying hard to get Aria to tell anyone else but her this.

"She would just talk about his Perfect abs and bulging," Spencer cut her off, "Aria stop!"

Placing her hands over her ears Spencer closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"What? " Aria was starting to get very frustrated with her friend. "Spencer I need help! I don't know what to do!"

The distress Aria was having had Spencer push away her own Jason problem, and try to help her friend.

"I'm confused," Spencer crawled on the bed beside her, "I thought you still had feelings for Ezra."

"I do," Aria looked down at her hands ashamed.

"And Jason?" Spencer asked.

"He's …" Aria was unaware of how to finish that sentence, "he's Jason," was all she could say.

That was all she had to say. Spencer understood what she meant. There was something about Jason that Aria was drawn to. A chemistry she couldn't deny, which lead to feeling she couldn't control. The same way Spencer felt about Toby.

"I have to tell you something," Spencer whispered. Aria looked at her and nodded for Spencer to continue.

"Jason," Spencer wasn't sure on how to get the words out. She just stared at Aria with an open mouth for a moment, while Aria used her hands motioning for her to continue.

"Jason is my fathers son," Spencer was shocked at how good that felt to say. To not hold it in anymore. Aria was just shocked. With wide eyes, she stared at Spencer asking a silent question of _really?_ Spencer just nodded and waited patiently for Aria to process everything.

"How are you handling all of this?" The concern she had made Spencer love her even more. It was nice to not have to worry about judgment from her friends. Something she was still trying to get used to. The fact that Aria asked how she was before asking for details, confirmed what Spencer already knew, Aria was a great friend.

"How _do_ you handle something like this?" Spencer shrugged.

"Not a clue," shaking her head Aria felt sorrow for all Spencer must be going through.

"But you do, " Spencer stated, "When your dad cheated on your mom,"

"He didn't create another sibling for me," Aria blurted out.

"Still, how did you forgive him?" Aria could tell how much this had been hurting Spencer, and she did know what it felt like to have a parent betray you like that.

"It took a while, but that wasn't the hard part," Aria tried to explain.

"What was?" Spencer asked as if she was looking for a magic answer to deal with this.

"It was the forgetting, he was never the same dad to me. He changed in my eyes," Aria explained sadly.

"Yeah I know," Spencer had an edge to her voice that told Aria she was still in the anger stage.

"In a way I think it made us closer," Trying to get Spencer to see the silver lining, Aria reached for her hand.

"How?" Tears began to pool in Spencer's eyes. She didn't believe anything could make her closer to her father anymore.

"Our parents are human Spence, they make mistakes just like us. Realizing they're not perfect made me appreciate them more. As weird as it sounds."

Nodding at her words Spencer understood what she was saying. They sat in silence for a while, both simmering their own thoughts.

Everything became clear to Aria. This is why Peter and Jessica were arguing at the fashion show. This is why Peter and Jason were arguing at Jason's house that time. It explains why Veronica was so uncomfortable with him on truth up day. And this was what Jason and Spencer were talking about in the courtyard. Jason was Spencer's brother.

"Oh I get it now," Aria blurted out.

"Yeah, my dad had an affair," Spencer said in her bluntly dry tone.

"No, not that. I get why you didn't want hear me going on about my Jason crush," Aria smiled shyly.

"Crush?" Shocked by aria's admission Spencer gaped at her. She knew Aria had feelings for Jason but now she was fully admitting her attraction to him.

"Come on Spence, why else would I have sex dreams about him?" Aria blushed.

"Sex dreams?" The disgusted look Spencer wore made aria laugh.

"I didn't mention that part did I?" Aria giggled.

"No," Spencer shuddered at the thought of Jason in a sex dream. She needed to change this subject fast.

"Aria there's more," Spencer pressed.

"More children?" Aria asked.

Spencer couldn't help the eye roll that followed Aria's question. Clearly Hannah was rubbing off on her.

"NO," her tone made Aria feel like an airhead for a moment, "I have more to tell you."

"What?" Aria asked hesitantly, as Spencer got up and walked to her desk.

"I told Jason Ali was looking for someone she was afraid of," Aria was in shock at Spencer's words, she told Jason.

Does this mean Spencer trusted him now that she knows he's her brother?

"I also told him I needed $2,000 to find out who it was," She handed Aria an envelope. Looking inside Aria choked on her own breath.

"Wait Jason just gave it to you?" Jumping up to stand.

"He wants answers just like we do," Spencer took the envelope back and headed towards her desk.

"Did you tell him about **"A"**?" The thought of Jason being brought into this mess made Aria feel sick.

"No of course not," Spencer placed the envelope in her desk drawer before turning back around and leaning against her desk.

"So we can call Jonah and set up a meeting. Spencer do you know what this means?" Aria tried not to get her hopes up.

"We may be closing in on **"A"**," Spencer stated simply, "Or we may be headed to another trap."

As Aria left Spencer's tiredness began to way her body down. Having a nap was probably a bad idea considering all she could think about was Jason. She felt bad for Spencer, but she felt bad for Jason too. He had gone his whole life believing one thing, only to find out it was all a lie. She wanted to go to him. Wanted to comfort him, to listen to fought the urge to go to Jason as she pulled into her driveway. Walking into her home she released a stressful sigh. So much for Spencer helping Aria deal with this Jason crush. All she really did was make it worse. Now that Aria knew his secret some of the mystery surrounding him had disappeared. A lot of things made sense now. One thing was for sure, crush or not she needed to stay away from Jason. If she had learned anything from her relationship with Ezra, it was that as long as **"A"** was around, she could never be happy. The people that she loved would always be in the crossfire, they would always be pawns in** "A"**'s game. Just ask Hannah, Caleb came so close to being arrested last night. She wouldn't let that happen to Jason.

"Where did you head off to so early this morning?" Ella asked her daughter as Aria walked into the kitchen.

"Relax mom," Aria sighed while reaching for a glass from the cupboard, "I was just at Spencer's."

"I wasn't implying anything," Ella grabbed the jug of orange juice from the counter and poured some into Aria's glass.

"Yes you were," placing her cup on the counter Aria grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl.

"No Aria I wasn't," her mother sighed, returning to the pancake batter she was mixing.

"Sorry," Aria mumbled with a mouth full of apple.

"This is all going to take some time, for all of us," Ella tried to explain while continuing to stir the batter.

"I'm not seeing him anymore why can't you and dad back off," Aria's words cause her mother to snap. She'd had just about enough of her daughters sullen attitude these past few weeks.

"You lied to us," Ella explained, " you broke our trust. It's not easily returned."

"I know," Aria gave her a mother a look that needed no explanation. She was referring to her father, and the trust he had broken not to long ago.

"Look I know things have been tense around here lately ," Ella walked over to her purse and pulled out a piece of paper, "but there are other reasons why we're so worried,"

"What are you talking about?" Finishing off her apple Aria placed the core onto the counter and picked up her orange juice, proceeding to take a sip.

"Somebody left this on your dad's car," Ella explained, handing the paper to Aria.

As she read the words on the paper the glass of juice almost slipped out of her hand.

**Tonight at 8:30**

**Do you know where your daughter will be? I do.**

**Sincerely,**

**-A**

Underneath was the address of a café, the one she goes to in Philadelphia while Holden goes to his fights. Why did **"A"** care about this? Why were they trying to get her busted for covering up Holden's secret? If the truth was revealed he would be in a lot more trouble than her. However this would defiantly not help the trust her mother had said she needed to earn back.

"Any idea who sent it?" Ella was paying close attention to Aria's reaction to the note.

"No," trying to nonchalantly brush it off, Aria handed the letter back to her mother.

"You know there was a time when you would share everything that was going on in you life with me," her voice held remorse for how much their relationship had changed.

Nervously Aria picked up her apple core and put it in the trash, Ella continued,"and who was in you life."

"Mom," turning around to face Ella, Aria tried to ease her mothers worry, "come on you know everybody that's in my life."

"Do you remember that letter I got last year? About dad's affair with Meredith it was signed by **"A"** too. I had just assumed that Meredith had wrote it but now," Ella shook her head as if she didn't know what to believe.

Aria timidly finished off her orange juice before placing the empty glass into the sink.

"Don't worry you dad and I will look into it," Ella returned back to making breakfast, as Aria rushed out of the kitchen.

No, her mom and dad can't look into this. **"A"** was too dangerous, too unpredictable, and they really didn't like people asking questions. Ask Dr. Sullivan if she's even still alive. How was she going to fix this one? What game was **"A" **playing at now?

Throwing herself onto her bed she snuggled under the covers. Her eyelids began to feel heavy. Thoughts of a nap ran through her head, before she remembered her starling wake up. Releasing a frustrated grunt she rolled onto her side. Her life had become a complete mess. Would she ever find a way out of it? Someone of her young age shouldn't feel this much stress. Closing her eyes she decided on the nap, she would take the Jason dreams over her current reality right now.

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><p><em>Thank for reading! Let me know what you think!<em>


	5. Drunk popcorn

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update my laptop got stolen and i lost the story. Now i have rewritten it so here we go.**

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><p>Are we about to see Allison get killed? They had all been thinking it, Hanna was the only one lacking a brain filter and said it. No they didn't see Allison die they saw Melissa instead. So now the oldest Hastings was at the top of the suspect list, causing tension amongst her little group. She hadn't seen Spencer since she insisted on talking to Melissa by herself. Her disappearing act from school yesterday had everyone worried. The <em>I'm fine <em>text she had received still didn't subside her worries. She knew how much Spencer had going on, and now it looked like Melissa was possibly involved in Ali's murder.

Shuffling through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom Aria finally spotted what she was looking for, band aids. Her leg had decided to start bleeding again. She still can't believe she fell off the porch like that . And for what? They were scammed, led to a dead end, again. They were out $2,000 of Jason's money and he was probably going to want answers from Spencer, answers she doesn't have.

Placing the band aid on her cut she sighed. It would probably leave a scar, another battle wound in this war against **"A" **. This was staring to get bigger than they truly realized. **"A" **had now involved Mona, trying to use her to get Hanna's mom in trouble. Maya was missing, Aria wouldn't admit it to Emily but the thought that **"A" **had done something to her had crossed her mind more than once.

Chiming of the doorbell causes Aria to release another sigh. Being home alone meant she would have to answer the door. She really doesn't want to see or talk to anyone today. She wants to be moody and sulk in her bed hiding away from the world. With reluctance she trudges her body downstairs putting her mask on for the world to see, _Everything is fine, she is a normal happy teenager. Life is good, she doesn't want to scream at he top of her lungs and hit something, nope everything is fine. _

This simple act of opening her front door causes her well placed mask to momentarily drop at he sight of who stands on the other end. Within seconds she has the mask up again although she's sure he knows it's a façade.

"Jason," she smiled up at him, "what are you doing here?"

His smile caused a flutter in Aria's stomach, "I was in the neighborhood."

She couldn't help but giggle at this, "Yeah because you live in it."

He returned her giggle with a smirk knowing he was busted, she knew he just wanted to see her and had no reason to.

"I was bored," he sheepishly admitted, " and I wanted to know if you wanted to do something?"

Aria was conflicted she wanted to spend time with him. At the same time she didn't want to drag him into her mess of a life.

"What did you have in mind," she found herself asking him anyway.

"I hadn't got that far yet," his smile revealed a slight nervousness to it. Aria thought it was cute he was nervous around her. She also felt a little guilty, his nervousness probably stemmed from her rejection a while back.

"Well to be honest I kind of just wanted to hang out at home today, maybe watch a movie," Aria explained. The disappointment in Jason's eyes had her quickly moving from the doorway to let him in "You could join me if you like."

"Sure," Jason smiled at her and stepped into the Montgomery house.

She didn't know what it was about Jason that always seemed to create butterflies in her stomach, but she liked it.

"What movie where you going to watch?" he asked.

"Whatever was on TV," she said while shutting the door, "Why don't you find something and I'll make popcorn."

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><p>**<em>Fl<em>_ashback summer 2009**_

"_We need more popcorn," Ali demanded from her spot on her bed._

"_I went last time," Spencer stated to the girls. _

"_Well I'm not going there about to announce best kiss," Hanna squealed and received a look from Ali that basically told her to stop acting so nerdy._

"_I'll go," Aria jumped up form the bed, she really didn't care who wan the MTV movie award for best kiss._

_Tapping her fingers on the counter she waited for the popcorn to cook. Loud laughter and the banging of the front door had Aria spinning around. She saw Ian plopping a drunk Jason on a chair at the kitchen table. Jason's upper body fell forward onto the table with a loud thump._

"_Shhh don't wake your parents," Ian whispered to a now sleeping Jason._

"_His parents aren't here," Aria stated as she walked towards them, "and if they were they wouldn't be sleeping it's like 9 o'clock." _

"_Right ," he pointed at her an headed out the door._

"_You can't just leave him here," Aria ran over to the door ._

"_Sure I can," Ian laughed as he headed over towards the Hastings house._

"_Ian," she called after him only to be ignored._

_Sighing Aria shut the door and walked to stand beside a passed out Jason._

"_Jason ," placing a hand on his shoulder she tried to shake him awake, "Jason wake up."_

"_My favorite power puff girl," he sleepily mumbled as he sat up in the chair wearing a goofy grin._

"_Can you stand?" She asked him. His only reply was to nod and show her that he could in fact stand, just not well. Standing beside him she motioned for him to lean on her. Jason draped his arm over her shoulders as she wrapped an arm around him for support._

"_Hey come on ," she lead him to the stairs._

_Their walk was awkward with him being so tall, he was hunched over as the tiny girl helped him climb the stairs._

"_Why are you helping me?" He muttered._

"_Because you helped me once remember ," Aria would be forever grateful to Jason for stepping in with Noel, who knows what would have happened if he didn't._

"_Not really," releasing a yawn Jason's head began to bob a little._

_ Aria didn't know why, but it stung that he didn't remember. That was the nicest thing he had done for her and she wished he remembered. Maybe it was because he was drunk right now that he didn't remember. Did he remember when he was sober? Aria knew she couldn't ask him. His face leaned in closer to her hair , and Aria could feel his intake of breath. Was he smelling her? Gently shoving him Aria got Jason to focus, as they came to the hallway. Aria was very appreciative that Jason's room was the first door off the stairs. The last thing she needed was Alison seeing this and questioning Aria's loyalty. That's how this would play out if she saw. She would be mad at her for helping Jason. Ali would want him to get busted. They made it to his bed and she helped Jason to sit down .Turning to leave him there Aria felt a pull on her wrist. Glancing down she saw Jason's hand wrapped around her own. Her questioning eyes traveled up to his face to find his eyes locked on her. A feeling Aria didn't recognize washed over her as she pulled her arm back._

"_Why are you friends with my sister," he pointed a finger at her and squinted his brows in confusion._

"_What ?" she whispered._

"_Your so much better than her and her games." _

_Aria didn't want to get in the middle of Jason and Ali's sibling rivalry. She knew Jason wouldn't understand why she was friends with his sister, in the same way she couldn't understand his choice of friends. He was so much better than what he was doing to himself. Walking towards him she stopped in front of him placing her hands on his shoulders. Everything about their body positions screamed intimacy to Aria, her legs were standing in between his, his face was so close from her own. His hands had found a place on top of hers and his glazed over eyes were focusing on her hazel ones._

"_Lie down," she whispered giving him a gentle push. His body resisted her, as his hands pushed their way up her arms to her hair tugging on a few strands._

"_I like this," he quietly stated while twirling a piece of pink hair between his fingers._

"_Jason you need to sleep it off," more forcefully she pushed on his shoulders._

_Finally he cooperates and lets Aria push him onto the bed. Reaching up he takes hold of her hand and slides his thumb over her knuckles. _

"_Thanks," he murmurs bringing her hand to his lips and gently places a soft kiss to it. Swallowing hard Aria pulls her hand back and runs it through her hair. "Sure," she mumbles back and she flies out of his room as if it were on fire. _

_Running down the stairs she gets the popcorn and runs back up. Her heart is racing and her cheeks are flushed. She stops before Ali's door and takes a deep breathe to calm her nerves. What the hell was that? She had heard of people getting affectionate when they are drunk but that was something else. That was Jason and her. Jason didn't seem like the type to suddenly show affection once inebriated , especially to his little sisters friend. Shaking her head she reentered Ali's room._

"_What took so long?" Emily asked as Aria handed her the bowl._

"_I had to go to the bathroom," Aria impressed herself with how well the lie came out._

"_I hope you washed you hands before touching the popcorn," Ali snickered._

"_Dammit I knew I forgot something," The sarcasm in her voice Ali to throw a piece of popcorn at her._

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><p>"That sound means it's done." Jason whispered into her ear. He had snuck up behind her and his words caused her to jump a little.<p>

"Right," Aria pulled the bag from the microwave and emptied it into a bowl. Jason had carefully studied Aria as she worked on the popcorn.

"You okay?" He asked as he came to stand beside her.

"Yep," Aria refused to meet his eyes, knowing if she did they would suck her in. There was something about Jason that always pulled Aria in, something that caused her to drop the mask. Funny how he somehow remained a mystery to her yet she didn't feel like she could lie to him.

"You seem out of it," he stated as Aria carried the bowl into the living room.

"It's Saturday ," eating a piece of popcorn she sat on the couch, "I've turned my brain off for the day."

"Wish I could do that," his smile was out of amusement but his eyes held conflict in them. Aria knew what was conflicting Jason she just didn't know how to bring it up.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hoping he would tell her about his recent paternity revelation.

"Not with an absent brain," shaking his head Jason let out a laugh. Aria could help giggle with him. He was so adorable sometimes.

"I could turn it back on for you."

"Thanks but it's not really a big deal."

But it was a big deal. Jason was Spencer's brother, that is a big deal. Peter wanted nothing to do with Jason, his parents had lied to him his whole life. It all had to hurt. She wanted him to confide in her. Wanted him to trust her with his secret, she knew this was selfish. How could she want these things from Jason when she couldn't give them back in return.

"So what movie did you find?" Aria asked picking up the remote.

"Nothing to fascinating I'm afraid."

As Aria began channel surfing the pair fell into a comfortable contentment. Both feeling their problems being lifted for a short time by just being in the presence of the other. Jason had a way of making Aria feel calm and relaxed, not knowing she had the same effect on him.

She could be herself around him she didn't have to worry if he thought she was too immature. It was nice to not care what he thought of her, Jason's acceptance of her was enough for her to feel completely comfortable around him.

Comfortable had quickly turned uncomfortable within an hour into the movie. Her dad had come home and plopped himself between the two, claiming they were watching one of his favorite movies. Aria highly doubted her dad actually liked Fantastic Four. Nobody really did it was just something you watched when it was on T.V , mindless action filled entertainment. Glancing at her dad and then Jason she noticed how the discomfort was only reserved for her as they laughed at something on the T.V. Rolling her eyes she refocused on the movie and waited for the credits to roll. Once they had Jason left, much to Aria's disappointment.

"I wasn't aware Jason was coming over today," Byron said as Aria tidied up the living room.

"Neither was I he just stopped by and asked if I wanted to hang out," grabbing the empty popcorn bowl she headed to the kitchen.

"Is there something going on between the two of you?" Aria immediately stopped and spun around.

"Would It be bad if there was?" She asked.

"Aria he is to old for you," his tone was scolding and it caused Aria to head towards the kitchen again.

"Oh here we go," she rolled her eyes in response.

"What happened to Holden? I was under the impression-"

"No you chose to believe what you wanted too," Tossing the bowl into the sink Aria came to stand in front of her father "Holden and I are just friends just like Jason and I are just friends. Which, thank god for that because I don't think I could take it if you ran him out of town too." Turing her back on him she began to make her way up the stairs to her room.

"Aria-" he called after her.

"No you know what dad," stopping on the stairs she turned to face him "you should pat yourself on the back you successfully got rid of Ezra, but you lost me in the process." Turning back around she fled up the stairs hearing her dad call after her.

"Aria come back we are not done,"

"I Am!" She yelled as she continued to stomp and didn't stop until she was in her bedroom. Slamming the door she released the tears from her eyes. Why did things have to be this way? Why did her dad have to act like that? Can't he let her try and figure things out on her own? Yes she broke his trust but he is one to talk. And yes she can understand his disapproving of her relationship with Ezra, but Jason? Was it Jason he didn't like or the fact of Aria dating him? She wasn't even dating him so why was he so angry and why was she so upset? Seriously what could she do to make him happy without sacrificing her own happiness? Was that even possible? Were her and her father destined to always be on opposite ends of a fight?


End file.
